Worlds warm up

We take a look at the form guide going into the Moth National Championships

The International Moth UK National Championships will get underway this Saturday from the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. The event is due to take place alongside a number of fleets coming under the banner of the WPNSA Annual Regatta.

Due to the number of other classes racing, on the water traffic will probably be the main issue for the weekend, but people will be talking about weight a lot as the wind looks set to be extremely light for the whole weekend and a premium on early foiling is likely to be seen.

More than anything else this regatta looks set to be a practice for the CST Moth World Championships which are due to take place in just one month’s time from the WPNSA. Interestingly, with so little time to go until the Worlds this weekend could well be the moment when we see many new innovations officially unveiled, though if this is the case we are also likely to see some bugs having to be ironed out. In true Moth style the entry list is still looking a little sparse but many of the top names have confirmed their entry even if they have yet to officially enter.



Simon Payne:

Clearly going to be the man to beat, Payne insists he has not quit work to full time Moth sail and will tell anyone who is willing to listen that he is not too concerned about taking victory at the Worlds in one month’s time. However, many think they know better and if his blog exploits are anything to go by he has been spending more time than almost anyone else out on the water and in the gym.

Since sailing last year’s World Championships with a 2006 boat, Payne has learned that you need to keep upgrading if you are to stay at the front of the Moth fleet. This year he has a new special one-off Prowler made from super light material, has been experimenting with new sails and has recently been using a new super thin high modulus carbon CST mast.



Graham Vials:

At a time when many other Moth sailors are doing their best to get as much time in their boats as possible in spite of their careers Graham Vials is spending probably more time than most in the office after he qualified as a lawyer last year. Vials has struggled to find a significant amount of time in his boat this season, however, this is unlikely to stop the former Olympic 470 sailor being a force to be reckoned with come the weekend. One of the best tactical sailors in the fleet, what Vials loses in time on the water he more than makes up for in being in the right place at the right time.

Kit-wise Vials is sailing a standard Bladerider and it will be interesting to see out on the water how much Payne’s Prowler has been able to catch up on what most agree was a slight speed disadvantage at the World Championships last year.



Jason Belben:

Reigning National Champion Jason Belben should be close to the front of the fleet come the end of play on Sunday. Where many others spend time talking the talk and developing as much as possible, Belben quietly gets on with the job of banging out solid result after solid result. Perhaps in many ways this is both his advantage and disadvantage, while his Prowler is solid as a rock and you will rarely see him miss a race though kit failure, it is also not the latest design or build and he could struggle to keep up with some of the 2008 Moths this season.



Adam May:

As ever May has had a busy year with Paralympic coaching commitments taking up much of his time. In addition to this he has been working hard on the Velocirapter production Moth this year alongside Dave Chisholm. The boats are now fully under production and we can expect to see the first Velociraptors competing this weekend, though May might not be in one.

At the World Championships last year May turned up with a boat he was still putting the finishing touches on as it hit the water and his sailing suffered consequently. He is unlikely to get stuck in this situation again. On the water May, Team GBR’s Tornado representative in Sydney, is as good as any but could lack a little time in the boat this year.



Alex Adams

Often too quickly discarded as a serious contender, Adams is fully on the pace and was unfortunate not to finish better at the Worlds in Lake Garda last year – a serious stomach bug did not help. A slight lack of practice following months in America due to work commitments might hold him back. He is a local to the area and sails in Weymouth more than anyone else in the Moth fleet, so should know where he is going.

Recently Adams unveiled his modified Mistress 3 design at a Moth Open in Weston. The boat is fairly radical with no foredeck and ‘fishnet’ tramps. Rumours have been circulating that Adams, along with Full Force Boats’ Linton Jenkins, has been developing a new wing mast for the Moth. The mast has been spotted a few times outside the Full Force factory in Weymouth, but is yet to be seen on the circuit.

If he turns up with all this new kit there will be a big question over Adams’ speed at the Nationals. At this stage in the development process we imagine the teething problems might still be getting ironed out. If all goes according to plan though, perhaps he will have a weapon on his hands.



Mike Cooke:

It will be interesting to see if Cooke turns up to the Nationals. After spending years developing his Axiom foiling Moth at Aardvark Boats his Axiom V4 was looking strong last season and at the start of this season. However, this year he has been developing a new top secret boat known only as ‘Secret Squirrel.’ Perhaps we will see this boat unveiled in Weymouth this weekend or perhaps we will see Cooke in his V4 or perhaps we will not see him at all.

On the water Cooke has been coming on in leaps and bounds this year and is even said to be close to mastering the art of the foiling tack. He achieved a big accolade a month ago when he was featured by Scott Babbage – runner up at the ’07 Worlds - as a possible contender for a top place at the World Championships this year.

With so much new kit potentially out on the water and a light breeze forecast, this weekend the most interesting viewing might be found in the dinghy park. However, there will certainly be a lot of eyes on Weymouth around the world as a tester for the World Championships. There are also many more sailors we have not listed here who stand a good chance of glory and with the fleet growing so quickly there could well be a new kid on the block who storms the class and takes the title.